Safety-catch for fire-arms



(No Mode 1.)

' G. D, POTTER.

SAFETY GATGH'POR FIRE ARMS.

Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE DUN MORE POTTER, OF DEMING, TERRITORY OF NINV MEXICO.

SAFETY-CATCH FOR FIRE-ARMS.

EjPECIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,189, dated March 16, 1886.

Application filed October 20, 1884. Serial No. 146,015. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE DUNMORE Por- TER, of Deming, in the county of Grant and Territory of New Mexico, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety-Catches for Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object I have in view is an improvement in safety-catches for breech-loading hammerless fire-arms, for the purpose of making such catches more secure and certain in action, as well as less liable to get out of order. I propose to accomplish these purposes by such a construction and arrangement of the parts which set or put in proper adjustment the catch that it shall not be liable to accidental disturbance from any cause, but shall hold the ment of the several operative parts, all as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

For the better comprehension of my improvements, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing, which represents a nearly central vertical section of the stock of a gun.

In this drawing, A is the stock of a gun; B, the ordinary triggers, and O the guard. In the interior of the stock is a curved lever, D, vertically arranged and pivoted to the stock at a point, a, preferably below the vertical center of the same. Thislever, as shown, has ashoulder, b, projecting forward, so as to provide a convenient base or abutment for a spring or piston, hereinafter more fully described, when it is desired to have the safety-catch automatic in its action; but any other support or abutment for a spring will answer the purpose. At the foot of the lever is a shoe, 0, projecting forward, with a bottom adapted to fit over the sears to the lock, while the extremity d of the foot is adapted to fit over the triggers and hold both the triggers and the sears from any movement of any character, produced by any cause whatever. To operate this lever so as to cause it to lock the triggers and scars, as described, the upper end of the lever projects through a slot, 0, in the back plate, and is pivoted to a slide composed of two sections, E and E, and preferably near the center of the front section, E. This slide is composed of two metallic bars constituting the sections E E, which are held together by a flat spring, F, slightly arched, upward, and secured at each end to one of the sections, so as to hold said sections together and act as a spring-hinge; or these sections may be positively hinged to each other. The spring also causes the opposite ends of the sections E E to adjust themselves to a bearing on the back plate at every point of their travel, and the spring forming a hinge at the extreme top of the sections admits of a perfectly-closed joint when in the safe position. This slide has a longitudinal movement in a groove, f, in the back plate of the stock, which groove is recessed, so as to have a shoulder, near the front end of the same.

If preferred, the slide may have only its lower central portion work in the groove, and have its upper portion overhanging at the sides, for better protection against dirt, dust,

- and water.

Then the slide is drawn backward, the front end of the section E is forced down by the spring F behind this shoulder and engages against it, and by this movement of the slide the lower end of the lever and the shoe 0 are swung over the triggers and over the scars, locking both securely. from its engagement, it is necessary to raise up the front section, E. and press it forward, when thelower end and shoe of the lever will be removed from the triggers and scars and the gun may be discharged. In order to make this action of the catch automatic, a spring, 2, preferably spiral, is attached to the reduced end hof the bolt G. This bolt, which may be the lug-bolt of the gun, being thrown back by the act ofwithdrawing the ball for the purpose of opening the barrels in any of the well-known To remove this catch" ways for throwing back the lug-bolt, throws back the upper end of the lever and the slide, and throws forward the lower end of the lever and its shoe, and locks the triggers and scars, as

before described. This spring, instead of belever D at the shoulder b, or directly to the lever at any convenient point. \Vhen the barrels are open, the safety-catch is moved forward by exerting a pressure upon it sufficient to overcome the spring. This is necessary in a hammerless gun by reason of the necessity of pulling the triggers while the gun is open when it is desired to let down the hammers.

. By pulling the triggers when the gun is open the hammers are not caught by the sears, and therefore go down gradually as the gun is closed. The effect of this arrangement of parts is to lock automatically the safetycatch whenever the barrels are opened and leave the safety-catch and triggers locked until released by moving the safety-catch only when the barrels are swung up at the breech and unlocked.

In all cases where the barrels are closed down and locked in position the safety-catch can only be released by a combined upward and forward movement by hand of the slide E E.

By the arrangement of the slide upon the back plate it is within convenient reach of the hand which grasps the stock, while the pressure of the hand cannot give any movement to the slide, neither can any sudden shock to the gun-as by striking an object or by fallingrelease the catch, triggers, or sears on account of the shoulder, against which the forward section of the slide is held by the spring F. As the slide at all times covers the slot e, no dust, dirt, or water can get into the interior of the stock.

IVhile I have described a construction of safety-catch which is preferred by me, I do not wish to be confined to this precise construction, as I am aware that many changes may be made therein without departing from my cardinal idea,which embraces, essentially, self-locking means on theoutside of the stock for operating a trigger-locking lever on the inside of the stock.

The principal advantages of this catch may be summarized as consisting in simplicity of parts, insuring efficiency and durability in use, and in the impossibility of unlocking this catch by any accident or inadvertence or in any way when the gun is ready for firing, except by the two movements described of the handviz., downward and forward.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new therein, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

1. Theslidedescribed, composedoftheparts E and E, connected by a spring-hinge located in a groove in the back plate, having a shoulder, 9, in combination with a trigger-locking lever connected with said slide, and adapted by movement of said slide to lock and unlock the triggers, substantially as described.

2. The spring-hinged slide composed of two connected parts, in combination with a pivoted lever, to which the slide is connected, and the scars and triggers, with which the lower end of said lever engages and disengages by the movement of said slide, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the spring-hinged slide composed of two connected parts and the lever pivoted within the gun-frame and having its upper arm connected to said slide, the spring-bolt G, arranged to move longitudinally within the gun-frame and have its rear edge come in contact with the front edge of the upper arm of the pivoted lever, and cause the end of the lower arm of the said lever to engage upon the trigger and scars, substantially as specified.

4'. The combination of the spring-hinged slide composed of two connected parts, the back plate,with its groove and shoulder, the locking-lever pivoted within the gun-frame and having its upper end connected with the slide through a slot in said frame, and the spring-bolt G, arranged to move longitudinally in the gun-frame and impinge on the upper arm of the locking-lever in its rearward motion and cause the lower arm of said lever to engage and lock the scars and trigger, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE DUN MORE POTTER. lVitnesses:

F. IV. CRAVEN, J. E. CURREN. 

